Edinburgh Whiskey Distilleries: the best tours
Whether you are a whisky lover or just curious about this great protagonist of Edinburgh's culture, I leave you with this post about the best distilleries you can find. Cheers!
Edinburgh | @Dyana Wing So
When you arrive in Edinburgh and start touring the city and its surroundings, you instantly understand a little more about the distinctive whisky culture. Its great green hills, low temperatures in almost every month of the year, and that drizzle that seems incessant, combine very well with the power of this popular drink.
Whisky has an interesting set of traditions surrounding itself, and if you're wondering what to see and do in Edinburgh, you can't help but include some activity related to it. The best experts will show you the manufacturing process and how they get that characteristic flavor of each brand and region of Scotland. And why not, many distilleries include tastings, so you can have your own opinion. Will you join me?
Edinburgh The Scotch Whisky Experience Tour
A guided tour to live the Scotch whisky experience
Explore The Scotch Whisky Experience in Edinburgh with a professional guide. Learn how the distilleries work, taste the most authentic examples and delve into the world of one of the world's most popular drinks.
Whether you are a whisky lover or not, this guided tour is a very interesting activity if you are traveling in Edinburgh. In The Scotch Whisky Experience you can learn about the whole process of making whisky, its aromas and flavors, its role in the *Scottish culture and many more curiosities.
The experience lasts about 50 minutes and is done in groups of about 25 people. You will always be accompanied by an expert guide and you will also have an audio guide in several languages, so you do not miss any detail of the wonderful world of Scotch whisky.
Recommended if... you want to know more about the local culture from another perspective than the historical, but no less important as its flavors and customs.
The best option: a guided tour for beginners
The best option for those who are new to the whisky culture is a one-hour guided tour of a distillery. This tour aims to introduce you to the world of whiskey in an interactive, educational and fun way.
You will discover the whisky making process in an exciting walk through a replica of the distillery, an experience you can only get in the city of Edinburgh. In addition, you can explore the five Scotch whisky producing regions and understand how geography influences the taste and the whole process.
Finally, they include a guided tasting of the whisky you select from a whisky collection catalogued as one of the largest in the world. You will have an expert available to advise you on the type of whiskey indicated according to what you fancy and the notes that make up the flavor of each of them.
Practical information
- Schedule: they usually start at 10 am. They last one hour.
- Price: from 24€, depending on the distillery and the number of tastings included in the price.
Tours for whisky experts
If you are a fan of whisky and its traditions, you will be particularly motivated with your trip to Edinburgh. In this case, the distilleries offer tours of longer duration, with a more precise content and a more complex approach to the different themes.
These tours are in high demand, as a great deal of tourism has been generated around whisky. Here you will have the chance to learn about the differences between the whiskies developed in Speyside, the Highlands (where you can go on an interesting excursion from Edinburgh), the Lowlands and Islay.
Some proposals also include an exclusive tasting of selected malts or some of their exclusive blends. At the Johnnie Walker distillery, this type of tour is a bit more particular as you will have access to the brand's archive, and an archivist will show you unique and extremely interesting documents.
Practical information
- Hours: 90 minutes. Consult schedules depending on the distillery.
- Price: from €60, depending on the distillery and the number of tastings included in the price.
Tours with gastronomic experience
For those who wish to have a more complete gastronomic experience and not just drink, there are distillery tours that include dishes according to the whisky selections being tasted.
These types of tours also include explanations about the manufacturing process and the history of this drink, but also focus on the pairing of flavors between whiskey and food.
Practical information
- Schedule: from 8 pm and lasts 3 hours.
- Price: from 90 €.
Whisky and gin tours
For those who also wish to explore the world of gin, there are tours that combine information and tasting of both drinks - why try one type when you can try two? The explanation of how these two industries, which at first glance do not have much in common, can be merged is very interesting.
The gin industry is booming in Scotland and, as a result, these types of new combined experiences are beginning to emerge.
You will receive explanations by an expert in both manufacturing processes and you can also make the long-awaited tasting of both. In addition, both whiskey and gin tastings are included, and the price will depend on the number of tastings you want to do.
Practical information
- Hours: 60 minutes. Consult schedules according to distillery.
- Price: from 25 €.
Tours of several days in Edinburgh and the different regions
If you are one of those who are visiting Scotland especially to learn about whisky, a tour of Edinburgh and the different regions is an attractive proposal.
The tours consist of a whisky route that covers all the regions, visiting different distilleries along the Scottish territory and doing different tastings.
The regions of Scotland are famous for making different types of whisky and those who are fans can easily learn about it. They are surprised by the wide range of flavors that can be obtained, depending on the different geographical and climatic conditions in the manufacturing process.
There are options from a weekend to a full week adventure. These types of tours include in their price the nights of accommodation while you are out of Edinburgh, the expert guide all the time with you and the comfortable and practical transportation for the different places of the itinerary of the whisky route that they include.
Practical Information
- Price: from 100 €, depending on the number of days. Meals are not included during the days of the tour, nor the entrances to the different distilleries.
But... What is whisky?
This world famous drink has its origins around the year... 800 BC! Its name means "water of life", so you can imagine the importance it has for all Scots.
We can find documents around the year 1400 where the processes were already formalized, creating the famous distilleries around the country.
The best distilleries in Edinburgh
If you are a fan of this drink, you will undoubtedly know the peculiar relationship between Scotland and its production. What may surprise you is the large number of distilleries that exist in the country, including several located in the capital.
Johnnie Walker Princess Street
If you are planning your visit to Edinburgh and wonder why Johnnie Walker is the best selling Scotch in the world, you can find out for yourself by visiting Johnnie Walker Princess Street, considered a tourist attraction for anyone visiting Edinburgh.
You can find 2 bars specializing in cocktails of all kinds: the first in cocktails of all kinds, overlooking Edinburgh Castle, as it could not be otherwise. We recommend you to visit it both day and night.
The second bar has a more intimate atmosphere, but is a real paradise where you can taste almost any malt belonging to Johnnie Walker.
- Where: 145 Princes St, Edinburgh EH2 4BL, UK
Holyrood Distillery
Holyrood Distillery is a relatively new distillery as it was born in 2019, at the foot of Arthur's Seat, where Edinburgh's first single malt whisky is made. The founders are great experimenters and are not only doing so with the different whiskies, but also offering their own gin, of high quality and innovative taste for those with exquisite palates.
Visit Holyrood Distillery to be part of the beginnings of a distillery that is bound to be a great success, created by those who want to honor the Scottish heritage and the history of whiskey using only malts, high quality yeast and very special barrels.
- Where: Holyrood Distillery 19 St, Leonard's Lane, Edinburgh EH8 9SH
The Scotch Whisky Experience
On your tour of the city's Old Town, The Scotch Whisky Experiencehas become one of the must-visit spots for whisky lovers. Its perfect central location, right next to Edinburgh Castle, makes you immerse yourself in this special world almost without realizing it.
In case you didn't know, the Scotch Whisky Experience's collection of bottles is the largest in the world. With your visit, you'll be able to see all 3 ,384 bottles of Scotch whisky in an incredible and sophisticated marble room, maintaining the same level of excellence that the entire place has.
- Where: 354 Castlehill, The Royal Mile, Edinburgh EH1 2NE
Ana's Traveller Tip
On the top floor of the Scotch Whisky Experience you can enjoy unparalleled views over Edinburgh Castle, the Old Town, the Grassmarket area and the fantastic Meadows in the distance.
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On your visit to Edinburgh, you can enjoy a wide variety of activities. Let yourself go and immerse yourself in adventure with the best tours and excursions from Edinburgh this vacation.